Brian Culver, a quadriplegic, isn't afraid of anything -- even flying 30 mph down the ice on a luge

Jonathon Gruenke / Kalamazoo GazetteBrian Culver of Comstock Township, center, smiles as James Boren, right, places protective gear on him before sliding down the luge at the Muskegon Winter Sports Complex last Sunday.

MUSKEGON — Brian Culver's sled launched down the
icy chute, hitting speeds of 30 mph before flipping near the end with a
sickening thud.

Friend James Boren and others sprinted down the hill to Culver, who lay motionless, still strapped to the sled.

Culver was unfazed.

Even with a crash landing, his first solo run down the luge track left him wanting more.

"I'm good," he said, after his helmet was removed. "I'm ready for run No. 2."

Brian Culver's story: Part 6 of 6

This is a six-part series on Brian Culver's quest to triumph over adversity. The entire story appeared in the Kalamazoo Gazette on March 13.

Culver, 38, has always been a daredevil,
headstrong and fearless. He bungee jumped; he rushed into burning
buildings as a firefighter; he skydived thousands of feet above
the clouds.

"He's done pretty much anything he wants to do," said his father, Wally Culver.

"He just lives life on the edge."

That should have changed 17 years ago when
Culver was pinned inside his crushed sports car after he smashed into a
tractor-semitrailer parked on the shoulder of a road.

Doctors said he wouldn't breathe or speak on his own again. He would never walk. They weren't sure he would live.

Culver never believed them.

"I'm going to walk out of this chair," Culver
said. "There's no doubt in my mind. There's no doubt in anybody's mind
once you spend time with me.

Jonathon Gruenke / Kalamazoo GazetteBrian Culver of Comstock Township slides down the luge at the Muskegon Winter Sports Complex last Sunday. On the 650-foot long track, people travel about 30 mph on the luge sled.

"I'm not going to sit here day by day and accept the fact I'm paralyzed."

As Boren helped lift Culver into the sled for another run down the luge track, the crowd was silent.

But spectators broke into cheers as he raced through the final turn - the place where he had crashed earlier.

"That's what I'm talking about, Big Daddy!" Boren yelled.

The clock read: 18.406 seconds. A solid time.

Luge coach Greg Cooke smiled as a small crowd went to congratulate Culver.